Shloka 19
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा—व्यासोपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Collapse and Vyāsa’s Counsel
न च दैवकृतो मार्ग: शक््यो भूतेन केनचित् | घटतापि चिरं काल॑ नियन्तुमिति मे मति:
na ca daivakṛto mārgaḥ śakyo bhūtena kenacit | ghaṭatāpi ciraṃ kālaṃ niyantum iti me matiḥ ||
And the course laid down by destiny cannot be altered by any living being. Even if one strives for a long time, to restrain or redirect it is not possible—such is my understanding.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vyāsa emphasizes the limits of human control: the trajectory of events shaped by daiva (destiny, the ripening of past causes) cannot be fully checked or redirected by any individual, even with prolonged effort.
In the aftermath of the war, amid lamentation and moral reckoning, Vyāsa offers a sobering reflection meant to steady the mind: some outcomes unfold according to an ordained course, and grief must be met with understanding of that inevitability.